Corona del Mar Today: Landscaping to cover wall that featured mural

The council has scheduled a meeting for Dec. 11, the only meeting on the December calendar.

Selich said after that meeting, the building would be left for about a month "to de-bug it."

"To make sure you don't turn a light switch on, and then the air condition comes on in the other side of the building," he said.

By mid-summer, he added, construction should have progressed enough to know if the opening date is realistic.

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Curry gets another parks term

Mayor Pro Tem Keith Curry has been reelected to a four-year term on the Orange County Parks Commission.

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He was elected to represent coastal cities by the Orange County City Selection Committee, which is comprised of the mayors of each city in the county. Curry is serving as commission chairman.

"I appreciate the confidence of my fellow council members, and I look forward to continuing to work for additional park and open space opportunities in Orange County," Curry wrote in an email.

The Orange County Parks Commission advises the Orange County Board of Supervisors on parks and recreation issues.

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New Port Theater cafe closes

For a few days, Corona del Mar had a new cafe when the New Port Theater opened its doors in the mornings to serve pastries and coffee drinks.

But the problem was no movie was playing, making the cafe a violation of the theater's permit.

"The Port is a theater and food can be served in conjunction with films but not by itself," Mayor Nancy Gardner wrote in an email. "It cannot be a coffee house."

Newport Beach officials became aware of the illegal cafe after someone complained, and city staff contacted the owner to explain, said city spokeswoman Tara Finnigan.

"The coffee use needs to be ancillary to the theater use," she wrote in an email. A staff member "contacted the owner last week and intends to meet and work with him. Their discussion, of course, will center on why the coffee service needs to be operated in conjunction with the theater, applicable code provisions, etc."

A resident on Heliotrope Avenue, who did not give his name, said he was concerned when he saw the cafe because of parking problems in the area.

"I know that the Port Theater is grandfathered in as a theater and does not have a parking requirement," the resident wrote in an email to city officials. "Living on Heliotrope we already face a space crunch … Add the retail in the area and we have a real issue. It would seem to me that this should have had to go to the Planning Commission where public comment would have been allowed before a new use for the Port Theater could be established."

This is not the first time a resident's complaint led to city officials cracking down on Corona del Mar coffee shops. Last summer, a resident complained that Starbucks had more than the 21 seats its permit allowed. A city inspector investigated, and seats were removed.